The police said that there were “indications” that it was a terrorist attack – the fourth lethal attack on Israel in less than three weeks in a period of increased Israeli-Palestinian tension. The militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has praised the attack but has not claimed responsibility. Hours after the shooting, the suspect remained at large. Hundreds of Israeli police, dog units and army special forces conducted a massive search in downtown Tel Aviv, passing build-up through densely populated residential neighborhoods. A damaged cafe on Dizengoff Street in the center of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Thursday. (Jack Guez / AFP / Getty Images)
Amichai Eshed, the Tel Aviv police chief, said the perpetrator opened fire at a crowded bar around 9pm and then fled the scene. “Our job is that it is still close,” he told reporters. “Right now, there are indications that this is a terrorist attack, but I have to be very sensitive about that and say that we are in control of other elements.” Israel’s emergency services Magen David Adom said it had received reports of shootings in “several tents” around downtown Tel Aviv. He said two men, about 30 years old, had been killed. Seven other people were injured, three of them seriously, he said. At least one shot was fired at Dizengoff Street, a main road. Dizengoff Street has been the scene of many deadly attacks over the years. Most recently, an Arab citizen of Israel shot and killed two Israelis and injured many others on the street in January 2016. The popular nightlife area was packed on Thursday afternoon, at the beginning of the Israeli weekend. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was monitoring the situation from the Israeli headquarters, which is also located in the center of Tel Aviv, his office said. Israeli security forces are looking for perpetrators after an attack in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel on Thursday. The shooting took place in a busy area with many bars and restaurants. (Ariel Schalit / The Associated Press)
Tensions are high following a series of attacks by Palestinian militants who killed 11 people shortly before the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, which began almost a week ago. Last year, demonstrations and clashes in Jerusalem during Ramadan sparked an 11-day war in Gaza. Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian leaders have held a series of meetings in recent weeks, and Israel has taken a number of steps to defuse tensions, including issuing thousands of additional work permits for Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Prior to the attack, Israel had said it would allow women, children and men over the age of 40 from the occupied West Bank to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem on Friday, the first weekly prayer in Ramadan. Tens of thousands were expected to attend. The mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and is located on top of a hill which is the holiest site for the Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. The shrine has long been a hotbed of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel has worked to sideline the Palestinian issue in recent years, instead focusing on forging alliances with Arab states against Iran. But the conflict of a century remains more non-negotiable than ever. The first correspondents arrive at the scene of the shooting in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel on Thursday. (Jack Guez / AFP / Getty Images)
Hamas spokesman Abdelatif Al-Qanou said late Thursday that “the heroic attack on the heart of the (Israeli) entity struck the Zionist security system and demonstrated the ability of our people to undermine the occupation.”

Recent attacks

On March 29, a 27-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank methodically shot dead five people in the central city of Bnei Brak. Two days earlier, two policemen were shot dead by two Islamic State militants in the central city of Khandera. Last week, an Islamic State supporter killed four people in a car and knife attack in the southern city of Beersheba. The Hadera and Beersheba attacks were carried out by Palestinian civilians in Israel. The recent attacks appear to have been carried out by individual perpetrators, possibly with the help of accomplices. No Palestinian militant group has claimed responsibility, although Hamas has welcomed the attacks. Israel says the conflict stems from the Palestinians’ refusal to accept its existence as a Jewish state and blames the attacks in part for inciting social media. The Palestinians say such attacks are the inevitable result of a nearly 55-year-old military occupation that shows no signs of ending.